Tea Drinking Linked to Lower Ovarian Cancer Risk

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Woman who drink two or more cups of tea every day may cut their risk of ovarian cancer in half, a new study shows.

Both black and green teas are rich in antioxidant chemicals called polyphenols, which have been shown to block cancer growth in lab and animal studies, Susanna C. Larsson and Alicja Wolk of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm note.

To investigate whether tea drinking might protect against ovarian cancer, Larsson and her colleagues followed 61,057 women participating in a mammography screening program. All of the women had completed questionnaires with information on diet, education and other factors. The women ranged in age from 40 to 76 at the beginning of the study.

During follow-up, which averaged about 15 years, 301 of the women developed ovarian cancer.

Compared with women who never drank tea, those who drank less than a cup a day had an 18-percent lower risk of developing ovarian cancer. One cup daily cut risk by 24 percent, while two or more cups lowered risk by 46 percent.

Tea drinkers were thinner and ate more fruits and vegetables, the researchers report, so they may have had a healthier overall lifestyle that led to reduced ovarian cancer risk.

Nevertheless, investigators add, the fact that risk declined steadily as tea consumption increased-known scientifically as a dose-response relationship-suggests the tea itself is a factor.

SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine December 12/20, 2005.